Effects of a Self-Advocacy Intervention on Abilities of Black College Students With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to Request Academic Accommodations

Abstract

Several barriers exist that inhibit the success of students with disabilities in postsecondary education environments, one of which is the lack of self-advocacy skills to effectively request academic modifications and ask for other supports when needed. In this study, we used a single-subject multiple-probe across participants design to examine the effects of a self-advocacy intervention on the abilities of college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to request their academic accommodations. We primarily focused the intervention on Black youth with IDD attending an inclusive higher education program. Results indicate moderate to strong evidence of a functional relation between the intervention and the students' abilities to request academic accommodations. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.

Disability resource professionals’ perceived challenges in minority-serving institutions during COVID-19: Recommendations for supporting students with disabilities.

“…Students with disabilities and students of color in higher education are already at increased risk for discrimination, as well as poor persistence and completion rates (Banks & Dohy, 2019; Lindsay et al, 2018). For students of color with disabilities, there is an even greater risk of stigmatization and obstacles to degree completion (Brendli et al, 2021; Walker & Test, 2011). Moreover, students with disabilities attending MSIs may experience additional barriers throughout their postsecondary experience (Schwitzman, 2019; Taylor & Burnett, 2019).…”